JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset Reviews

This 100% Pinot Noir from Los Carneros was ages 28 months on the lees, originally bottled to capture the brilliance and longevity of the 2013 vintage. After eight years, it shows elegant, fine, beading...

Moderately dark reddish purple color in the glass. Gorgeous, nose-filling aromas of dark stone fruits, pie spice, vanilla and subtle toast. Delicious flavors of cherry, raspberry, pie spices and vanilla with a subtle savory note in the background. Bright and seamless, with a sturdy finish of welcome length. A real charmer. 

Moderately dark reddish purple color in the glass. The aromas of black cherry, earthy flora, leather and toasty oak blend together nicely. Tasty flavors of black cherry, black raspberry and blackberry energize the attack and mid palate, persisting on the finish with lip-smacking goodness. A well-crafted wine with married tannins, deft oak integration and overall joy.

The surreal packaging of this wine with its baroque bottle and kissing heads suggest something very unique. Indeed. It shows balance and pleasure with black currant, spice and cedar undertones. Give it three or four years and see the love.

Presenting an authoritative message, this is a dense, muscular, extracted Cabernet loaded with dark berry, graphite, crushed rock and tobacco notes, cloaked in chewy, detailed tannins and ending with a long, full finish. 

The 2013 Chardonnay No. 33 from Russian River shows a light-straw color with a greenish hue, always a good sign. A beautiful nose of caramelized citrus, honeysuckle and orange rind are all present in this full-bodied, beautifully crafted Chardonnay that shows virtually no evidence of any new oak. It is a beauty. Full-bodied, fresh, and pure, it is best drunk over the next 5-6 years.

The 2013 Pinot Noir No. 11 from Sonoma Coast is a darker-fruited and deeper-colored, more Côte de Nuits style of Pinot Noir with a broader mouthfeel, more savory, complex richness, notes of forest floor, blackcurrant and black cherries, and loads of personality and character. This is a beauty, and seductive. Drink it over the next decade.

Another majestic effort from Boisset is the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon JCB No. 10. This is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville and 10% Petit Verdot. The wine shows terrific floral notes intermixed with blackberry and blueberry fruit, blackcurrants as well, subtle earthiness, a full-bodied, multilayered mouthfeel and a terrific finish of close to 50 seconds. This is a stunner and there are 235 cases of this unfiltered classic. Drink it over the next ten or more years.